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Saturday, October 31, 2015

Here’s the roundup of
what's been popular on The Innovative Educator blog.

Holding the lead for
another week is a post from my book Teaching Generation Text. This post
outlines the building blocks for BYOD success. Next up is an article that
shares five free tools for those trying to learn a new language.

Some of the other posts
that round out the top include one that looks at 4 edtech tools I discovered at
the #TLTechLive event as well as one that looks at using social media to
improve events. I hope there's something
that looks of interest to you. If it does, check it out. If you’re
inspired use one of those icons below the post to share it with others and/or
leave a comment.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

There are several quality free programs available for schools. Part of my work is helping teachers use platforms such as the ones below in the classroom. Using technology in the classroom is a change from conventional teaching and learning. That's a good thing, but educators face a problem when being evaluated if their administrator does not know how to evaluate a teacher whose students are learning in such an environment. Regardless, teachers must be armed with the knowledge of how to prepare for such evaluations.

In cities like New York teachers are evaluated using the four Danielson Domains. This means teachers must be prepared to explain to administrators what they are doing through the lens of each of the following Domains.

Here is what that looks like.

Domain 1: Planning and
preparation.
When using a quality program, it is planned and prepared well. What this looks
like - The programs are delivered using materials developed by world-renowned
experts. This means the content is coherently delivered and created by many of
the most knowledgeable in the field.

What teachers must be prepared to do – Know who created the program and the
research behind it. Be prepared to
discuss the instructional design and elements that make this program a success
for student learning.

Domain 2: Classroom Environment
What this looks like - Teachers and students are interacting but it doesn’t
look like conventional interaction. Additionally, students may be interacting
with others around the globe. Innovative educators must know how to explain
this. Students are engaging digitally.

What teachers must be prepared to
do - Be ready to explain how you are building and developing responsible
digital citizens. Have examples handy of
teacher – student and student – student interactions. Know how to show student behavior, how it is
monitored, and what you do if there are behavior issues.

Domain 3: Instruction
What this looks like - When technology is used all students are able to
participate all the time in ways never possible in conventional
classrooms. Students are grouped and
placed in a way that is instantly assessed based on their ability. Pacing is
individualized. Student assessment and feedback is instant.

What teachers must be prepared to do – Consider putting together a slide deck
that outlines some of the elements that support instruction with real student
samples. This would include the sort of questions and prompts students receive.
The way discussion is fostered. Show a dashboard that captures student
participation. Provide a graph of the
class that shows the structure and pacing of students based on individual
progress. Give examples of the type of
instant feedback students receive as well as how student can assess and monitor
themselves.

Domain 4: Professional
Responsibilities
One of the wonderful attributes on online platforms is that they have
professional learning networks tied to them. Participate in the network created
by the platform or create your own. These are places where educators are
discussing best practices for teaching and learning. They share what works,
challenges, and tips and tricks.

What teachers must be prepared to do – Capture links that represent your
engagement in these communities. Show how you have grown from feedback given by
others and how you have helped others with your feedback. If the platforms have
webinars or Twitter chats, engage and make sure you keep a record of those in
which you participate.

What do you think? Are you prepared to have these types of conversations with administrators where you work? What else have you had success with when being evaluated using innovative practices. Have you had these conversations? What worked? What didn't? How does your role change in such an environment. Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Sunday, October 25, 2015

There were lots of cool tools introduced at Tech + Learning Live "Cool Tool Duel" this week. The format was really fun. Here is the description:

During this lightning-paced smackdown, presenters will make their cases for apps, add-ons, and other edtech tools while the audience votes on their favorites. Who will be left standing at the end of this battle?

Participants voted for their favorite tools while presenters made a case to explain why what they presented was the best. This is a terrific professional development format that schools can use to highlight innovative educators and the tools they use.

Here are the four free, platform-agnostic tools shared that I've never-used but plan to investigate.

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Here’s the roundup of what's been popular on The Innovative Educator blog.

A new post takes the lead this week outlining how to succeed when students are empowered to use their own devices. Next up is an article that shares five free tools for those trying to learn a new language.

There are a few more posts to round out the top including one that addresses how to integrate social media into learning. I hope there's something that looks of interest to you. If it does, check it out. If you’re inspired use one of those icons below the post to share it with others and/or leave a comment.

Friday, October 23, 2015

Today marks the conclusion of another terrific live event hosted by Tech & Learning magazine. From the keynote to the breakout sessions, this year was marked by more opportunities for engagement among participants. One person put it this way: It was great not to be "talked at" by experts but rather have the opportunity to "talk with" experts and other attendees. The day was more about conversations than about having knowledge imparted onto the attendees. The approached worked well. It seemed participants had more of an opportunity to make meaning and build relationships. Karen Blumberg kicked off the day with a keynote that provided a conversational climate. She posed questions to the audience that enabled attendees to get to know each other and see the expertise in the room. The keynote entitled, "Our PLNs, Ourselves" was a play on her childhood favorite "Our Bodies, Ourselves." The book advised women to claim their sexuality for their own pleasure. Blumberg's talk advised listeners to claim their professional learning networks (PLNs) for their own learning and to share that learning with others. She asked the audience to think about who has influenced them and how they could positively influence others. "Don't just be a sponge soaking up knowledge from others," she advised. "Also, think about how you can contribute to learning for others."The breakout sessions consisted of a few influencers in various areas who introduced themselves, then had a dialogue with those who choose their session. Our session was, "You've got devices. Now what?" Once each of the three panelists gave a brief background, the audience and panelists engaged in a dialogue. After the session, a participant shared this with me. In two minutes, you answered my one question in a way that will transform and inform how we spend our districts multi-million dollar smart bond grant. I shared 3 lessons learned from tech deployments:

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Most people think of social media as a distraction during face-to-face gatherings. But can it be used to enhance face-to-face experiences?

Yes!

Whether you have a group going on a trip to a museum, a fair, a conference, or a show, there are ways you can use social media to deepen the event experience and also build relationships of those attending the event.

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Here’s the roundup of what's been popular on
The Innovative Educator blog.

Class Story continues
to hold the lead as the hottest post.
Class Story is a new free tool which can be used to strengthen the
home-school connection from Class Dojo. Next up is a post that addresses an
important issue. Educators need to stop competing with social media and start
integrating it. Rounding out third place is a post about my takeaways
from the World Maker Faire.

There are a few more
posts to round out the top including one that explains a learning model with no
tests, teachers, or curriculum and ideas for making your school more welcoming
to the community. I hope there's something that looks of interest to you.
If it does, check it out. Share it with your networks. If you're
inspired, leave a comment.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

...Kids these days. They don't know how to speak face-to-face anymore. All they do is spend their days, heads glued to cell phones -- texting. They need to learn how to communicate in the real world.

Adults who share these sentiments are missing the fact that digital communication is real. Kids aren't texting fake people. They're communicating with real-world friends in their real digital worlds.

The problem is that, even though they know should be ensuring their children are using digital resources effectively, few adults feel prepared to do that. Given that, is it any wonder that on exposés such as #BeingThirteen / #Being13, young people are engaging in unsavory behavior?

It's not that social media is causing teens to act in inappropriate ways, it simply brings their actions to light and magnifies what they are doing.

The knee-jerk reaction of some adults is to require teens to abstain from using social media for short or long periods of time, when instead they should #HaveTheTalk. Social media has no intent. It is a tool and while it can be used for socially inappropriate behavior, it can also be used for social good, social justice, social learning, and in other positive ways. The role of adults in the lives of young people is to support them in engaging safely, responsibly and effectively, regardless of the medium in which they are communicating.

These ten practices shared by CORWIN connect as part of Connected Educator month are a good start.

Sunday, October 11, 2015

As more and more schools make the decision to embrace student-owned devices for learning, it's important that they incorporate strategies for success. Lifting the ban on devices and inviting them into the school is a start, but it is also important to put building blocks for success in place. To follow are the seven building blocks you should put in place to ensure you attain success.

7 #BYOD Building Blocks for Success

Start with pioneers - Incorporating cell phones and other student devices into learning works best when teachers are on board. Find out if you have teachers in your building who want to pilot this work in your school. Let them set the stage and support others when they are ready.

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Here’s the roundup of what's been popular on The Innovative Educator blog.

Holding the lead for the past month is a, free tool called Class Story which can be used to strengthen the home-school connection from Class Dojo. Next up was an overview of the new Google for Ed Certification Exams. Rounding out third place were ideas to welcome parents, students, and the community into your school.

There are a few newer posts to round out the top including one that explains a learning model with no tests, teachers, or curriculum and another that explains why it's important that we stop competing with social media and start integrating it. I hope there's something that looks of interest to you. If it does, check it out. Share it with your networks. If you're inspired, leave a comment.

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Finally! The American Academy of Pediatrics has updated their stance on screentime. The new guidelines are better than the previously outdated ones which I critique here, here, and here, but there is still room for improvement. They continue to miss mark when it comes to the power of screens to make global connections, build learning networks, and bring people closer together.

(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

Here are some counter-points to consider.

Don’t Set Limits

The AAP suggests parents should set limits. While that might seem like good advice, it does little to empower young people to think about making good decisions for themselves. Rather than setting limits, talk to kids about what they care about and want to accomplish and help them figure out the best ways to do that.

Attentive Parenting Might Involve Screens

The AAP says attentive parenting requires face time away from screens. What it really means is that parents need to spend time with their kids. That might very well involve screens. Maybe you read a book aloud from a screen. Perhaps you recreate a building in Minecraft together. Perhaps you are a parent that travels and you facetime with your child (via a screen). Time away from screens is not the answer. Time being attentive to your child in their worlds with or away from screens is what is important.

Sunday, October 4, 2015

I took four years of Spanish during my school years, though you wouldn’t know it if you tried having a conversation with me in Spanish. My experience is not unusual. The way language is typically taught in the United States often does not result with language acquistion at the end. I wonder if things would have been different if I was a student today in a time when technology provides such terrific ways to learn languages.

Here are five free digital resources, that can support modern learners in language acquisition.

Has become a popular app to support the learning of another language. It’s gamification elements make it both fun and addictive. You can earn points for correct answers, race against the clock, and level up. The bite-sized lessons are effective and here is proof that it works. More than 100,000 classrooms are using Duolingo. Teachers can easily track their students’ progress, run in-class activities and assign homework. Here is the “How to use Duolingo in class: the guide.”

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Here’s the roundup of what's been popular on The Innovative Educator blog.

Taking the lead for another week is a new, free tool called Class Story which can be used to strengthen the home-school connection from Class Dojo. Next up was an overview of the new Google for Ed Certification Exams. Rounding out third place were ideas to welcome parents, students, and the community into your school. I'm thrilled that post was the inspiration for last week's #Sunchat.

There are a few more posts to round out the top including one that explains a learning model with no tests, teachers, or curriculum and an oldy about why we should allow students to use cell phones for learning. I hope there's something that looks of interest to you. If it does, check it out. Share it with your networks. If you're inspired, leave a comment.